Kathmandu, 12 January 2024 In a significant step towards enhancing civic engagement and promoting democratic values, NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN) along with the Association of the International NGOs in Nepal (AIN) have collaborated with the European Union in Nepal for strengthening the civic space in Nepal. The project “Strengthening enabling environment for CSOs and civic actors to contribute to an inclusive society, democratic governance, and equitable development (Civic Space Project )”, is funded under a grant of EUR 1,000,000 from the European Union. Civic Space Project will be focused on enhancing policy engagement between civil society and the three tiers of the Government of Nepal, on fostering strategic partnerships between civil society and diverse civic actors, and on advancing governance, standards, and sustainability within the civil society sector. The inception workshop and the project launch held jointly by the NFN and AIN on 11 th and 12 th January 2024 in Kathmandu marked the official commencement of this initiative. The one-and-a-half-day inception workshop gathered more than 50 members from AIN and NFN who deliberated about the issues, challenges, and the ways to make the best possible outcome from this project. The participating members engaged into series of group exercises to figure out the strategies and the approach for the project implementation. The project launch event held on 12 January 2024 served as the platform for the formal kick off meeting. It brought together key stakeholders, government officials and civil society representatives. The project presented about the project’s objectives, strategies, and anticipated outcomes. The presentation helped the participants to gain better insights about the project. The program was joined by Dr Marco Gemmer, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Nepal as chief guest whereas Ms. Tara Chhetri Country Director of Save the Children, Dr. Roj Nath Pandey, Secretary Federal Parliament Secretariat and Mr. Ram Raj Bhattarai, Director of the Social Welfare Council were present in the program as special guests. In the event, Mr. Ram Prasad Subedi, President of NFN said, “We both NFN and AIN have done preparations for more than one year to develop and execute this project. We look forward to support from all the stakeholders.” Moreover, Mr. Bhagwan Shrestha chairperson of AIN said, “I am thankful to every single person who have supported us in launching this project. Moreover, we also look forward to having stronger collaboration in coming days.” The Civic Space Project will span for 48 months from August 2023. The project partners are dedicated to fostering an environment where civic space is strengthened, and contribute to an inclusive society, democratic governance, and equitable development. The press release of the launch event can be found here.
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